Geckler gets 8-12 yearsin prison for shooting

By Carol McIntire
Editor
A Massillon man will spend the next eight to 12 years in prison for shooting a Carrollton teen with a bow and arrow and stabbing him last September.
During a sentencing hearing April 15 in Carroll County Common Pleas Court, Judge Michael V. Repella sentenced Michael J. Geckler, 20, to prison after Geckler accepted a plea deal.
Under the terms of the agreement, the prosecution agreed to nolle one charge of Attempted Murder in exchange for Geckler’s guilty plea to one count of Attempted Murder and Felonious Assault. Attempted Murder is a first-degree felony and Felonious Assault a second-degree felony.
Repella handed down the eight-to-12 year sentence on the Attempted Murder charge and the said, “Based on a review of the entire record, arguments and statements of counsel and the information contained in the pre-sentence investigation, the offense of Felonious Assault is an offense of which conduct is the same conduct that can be conduct of a single act, committed with a single state of mind with Attempted Murder. Therefore, count 3 (Felonious Assault) is an offense of similar import which merges with count 1 for purposes of sentencing.”
Geckler was given credit for 199 days of jail time served against the sentence and ordered to enroll in the state’s Violent Offender database.
Geckler was indicted for the Sept. 30 shooting and stabbing, which occurred at a residence on King Rd. in Harrison Twp., Carroll County.

Geckler was indicted Nov. 1, 2023, and during a pre-trial Nov. 16, asked for and was granted, a mental evaluation to determine his competency to stand trial. The evaluation was conducted by the Forensic Diagnostic Center of District Nine at Byesville to conduct the evaluation.
During a March 7 pre-trial, Repella, after reviewing the report filed by officials for the Forensic Diagnostic Center, found Geckler competent to stand trial. That led to Geckler withdrawing a not guilty by reason of insanity plea and entering a not guilty plea and the beginning of plea negotiations.
The victim was present during the sentencing and made a statement.
Geckler was remanded to the custody of the county sheriff following the sentencing hearing for execution of the sentence within five days.